GLITTER GULCH

Chapter 5: Kaos, the Morning After

Rowan lay stretched out on his bed and sighed. Everything had been going so well with Anubis and then Brit boy here had to go and ruin it. A stray hand came and whacked his chest. Rowan reached down to remove the errant member of Cye’s body, but he decided to leave the hand where it was because it felt good against his warm skin. He closed his eyes and imagined Anubis’ hand on his chest, rubbing and tickling. He let out a breath as Cye snuggled closer. Ugh, he’s got vomit breath. Rowan turned his head to the side.

Cye had immediately begun to strip when he entered the room. He’d complained about how hot it was and how hot he was and began removing clothing before Rowan and Anubis even had a chance to lay him down. Anubis had snickered and lightly brushed Rowan’s lips with his own before fleeing the room, leaving a frustrated Rowan to care for a drunken Englishman. Rowan had managed to get Cye into the bed only by sheer willpower. The Englishman had lain on the floor for an hour before even letting Rowan near him. He mumbled about England, somebody named Philip, and something to do with a house that wasn’t there. He also talked about how good Rowan and Anubis had looked together. The red and blue hair, stuff like that. Rowan found himself agreeing with the drunk.

Rowan had finally convinced him that the bed was far more comfortable than the floor and the Brit had (with his help) clambered onto the bed. Rowan had stripped down to his skivvies and lay down on the far side of the bed, but Cye had found him.

Cye’s hand began to travel lower and he had a hard time concentrating on his attack plan for Anubis the next day. The hand was making lazy circles on his chest and stomach. Okay, so I could go with this and have a little bit of fun this mornin’. After all, he is the reason I still have this. He frowned at his erect penis. He let the Brit’s hand continue swirling. He glanced at Cye’s peaceful, innocent face. Shit. I can’t do this. He harrumphed and moved Cye’s hand. The Brit snuggled closer and put his hand back. Shit. He removed Cye’s hand again. Cye put it back. Rowan removed it. Cye put it back.

"Fuck!" Rowan leapt out of bed. "Wake up, Cye." Cye didn’t move. "Wake up you drunken git, and quit pawin’ me!" Cye cracked open an eye and promptly shut it. "Wake up!" Rowan nudged Cye.

"What?" Cye shooed Rowan’s hand.

"Get up! If I have ta be up, you have ta be up."

"Don’t wanna."

"I don’t care if you don’t wanna. I didn’t wanna drag your ass up here last night, but I did."

Cye slowly sat up, his head cradled in his hands. "You took care of me?"

"Yeah. Me and Anubis."

Cye blushed. "Oh, yeah."

"Yeah, but he decided not ta stay in the room with the human geyser." Cye’s eyes watered. "What the hell were you thinking anyway? Drinkin’ like a fish. And in this heat! Did ya stop to think about where ya were gonna go after ya got piss drunk?" Cye’s bottom lip stuck out and his eyes brimmed with tears. "Well?!"

Cye’s lower lip quivered and he burst into tears. Rowan felt like a cad. "Aww, shit. Come on. Quit cryin’ already." Cye cried harder. Rowan threw up his hands and then sat on the bed next to Cye. He wrapped an arm around the Brit’s shoulder and pulled him to his chest. He hadn’t wanted to make him cry. Now he felt twice as bad as he had before. This poor guy had come all the way from England to be a teacher in a podunk little town in the middle of nowhere, only to be yelled at by a sexually frustrated blue-haired Yankee. "Listen, I’m sorry. I shouldna yelled. Don’t cry, okay?"

Cye nodded and pulled back. Rowan reached up and wiped away the tears with his thumb. "Are ya all right now?" Cye nodded, but his lower lip still quivered. His nose and eyes were red and his chest jerked with broken sobs. "I shouldna yelled at ya. I’m sorry. Here." Rowan pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket. "Ya got snot runnin’ outta ya nose." Cye’s face pinched shut and the waterworks started up again. "Crap." Rowan tucked Cye back into his chest. "Surely the yellin’ didn’t cause all of this." Cye shook his head. "So what’s the mattah?"

"The" <sob> "house" <sob> "I" <sob> "isn’t" <sob> "ready!" <sob>

"And?"

Cye’s lip quivered. "I" <sob> "don’t" <sob> "have" <sob> "anywhere" <sob> "to" <sob> "go!"

"Is that all?" Cye pulled back and searched Rowan’s eyes.

"Is that all?" <sob> "I don’t have any" <sob> "family here and I’m" <sob> "thousands of miles away" <sob> "from…home!" <sob> "And that mayor said" <sob> "I’d get a house!" <sob> "But it’s not ready!" Cye started crying again.

Rowan patted Cye’s hair. "Hey, don’t worry your pretty little head over it. I gotta couple a friends coming inta town today. We’ll thinka somethin’. Now get up and get dressed. I have ta get a new shirt and I’ll walk ya to the mayor’s office. Maybe he can at least tell ya when the house is gonna be ready."

"You mean after all that I did, you’re going to help me?"

"Sure. Can’t have the new school teacher sleepin’ on the streets, can we?"

"Oh thank you!" Crying, Cye threw his arms around Rowan’s neck.

If this guy doesn’t stop cryin’, we’re gonna have a flood on our hands. Rowan sighed. His head was beginning to hurt. This is gonna be a long day.

Ryo moaned and tried to sit up. He had a headache from the peyote he had eaten but that was the last thing he remembered. Except for that dream… His hand met flesh and he jerked back. Sage lay stretched out beside him, his golden hair covering his face and a light blanket draped over his body. Ryo blushed – the dream coming back to him vividly. Oh my god. I didn’t really do that did I? The image of Sage’s lean body stretched out before him, completely at his disposal, began to arouse him. The feeling of power and control had been so tantalizing and seductive. And Sage was so beautiful and perfect. Ryo felt so inadequate next to the cowboy. He wanted to reach out and caress the angelic face. He was lucky to have found someone like Sage…And now he’d gone and ruined everything. The cowboy would never want anything to do with him again. Not after he’d…He’d destroyed the one good thing in his life. The one thing he was still thankful for, he’d sabotaged in one night in a fit of passion. Stupid. Stupid! Great! Now what do I do? How can I…

Sage stirred and opened a pale eye. Ryo recoiled. Sage frowned. "Ryo?"

"Uh, Sage…I…Uh…" Sage reached out a hand to Ryo who shrank from his touch. A hint of emotion – hurt, betrayal—flashed in the cowboy’s eyes. He turned his head. Ryo felt like vomiting. He hates me now. How could I have done something like that? How could I do that to Sage?

Sage stood up, taking the blanket with him. Ryo sat in abject misery. "We’d better get moving. Rowan’s expecting us." Sage made his way to the stream, leaving Ryo miserable and alone. The pit of his stomach churned.

The red wasn’t coming off. No matter how hard Sage scrubbed it only seemed to make the streaks brighter. And the worst part of it was that he had it all over his mouth and neck. The rest of it he could cover up but this…He brushed his bangs out of his eyes and scrubbed some more. It wasn’t coming off – any of it. The hurt and shame punctuated by a bright red brand across his body. The look in Ryo’s eyes as he’d recoiled from Sage’s touch had stung worse than if the Indian had hauled off and hit him. He shoved his bangs back out of his eyes. I wish he had hit me. Maybe then I could forgive myself. I knew he wasn’t himself. I should have stopped it. I shouldn’t have let him continue. But god – it had felt so good. His kiss, his touch, his cock… Sage struck the water with his fists. Dammit! Why didn’t I stop it? His bangs fell back in his face. He grabbed them and pulled – hair clumping in his hand, a few strands pulling loose. He sank down on the bank, his head over the water. The dull ache in his chest increased, threatening to explode. Why does this hurt so much? That look… His hand clenched into a fist at his chest, trying to relieve the pressure. I’ve betrayed him. It was a mistake. It was a mistake that will never happen again. The tears falling from Sage’s eyes caused ripples in the water. Rings of hurt and sorrow eagerly devoured by the water.

Ryo watched Sage through his eyelashes. He had come back from the stream about a half-hour ago and hadn’t spoken to Ryo since. There were angry red splotches on his neck and face where he’d tried to get the dye off. It had simply wiped off Ryo’s body. The oil he’d placed on his body beforehand had kept the crimson from sinking into his skin. He hadn’t thought about what it would do to Sage’s skin. But it was only a dream, right? He couldn’t have really done that. Could he?

"Yes."

"You mean…we…uh…"

"Yes."

"I didn’t dream that…"

"No."

"Oh." Ryo blushed. "Sage?"

"Yes?"

Ryo took a deep breath. "I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to…um…the peyote must’ve really…"

"Ryo."

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

"Yeah, okay."

The cowboy and the Indian mounted their horses and rode off to Glitter Gulch, neither saying a word.

Rowan set out that morning with a weary Cye, who had a sunburn and a hangover. Not really a good combination. But Rowan knew exactly where to take him – to see Doc Kaos. Then after their little doctor visit, he could go to Smitty’s General Store and Dry Goods to get a new shirt for Anubis. He stopped in front of the apothecary’s and opened the door, motioning Cye in first. Cye cringed at the ringing of the overhead bell when the door opened and scurried inside.

The room was full of shelves and drawers that had stuff in, on, and sticking out of them. The mixture of smells turned into a musty aroma and Cye winced. He swallowed the bile that threatened to surface and tried to hold his breath.

"Ahh, Tenku, I see you brought Suiko with you." A little old man with an enormous hat made his way toward them. His eyes glittered with mischief.

Rowan rolled his eyes. "Uh, yeah. Soo-ee-ko has a slight hangover. Got anythin’ to help?"

"Suiko has always had an appetite for drink. It is in his blood."

Cye blushed and stammered, "This is the first time. Really!"

"For you, perhaps, but not Suiko." Kaos gave Cye a toothless grin.

Rowan shook his head. "Doc, got anythin’ or not?"

"Yes, Tenku. I have just the thing."

Doc Kaos started mumbling to himself and shuffling about, grabbing something here and there and sticking it in his apron. Cye watched nervously, trying hard not to stare at the collection of jars and boxes everywhere. Each of them had Chinese characters written on them and some of them looked back at him. He huddled closer to Rowan.

The doc finished gathered stuff and put it in a bag. "Grind these together and boil it in water. Then drink the whole thing. That should cure the headache. As for the heart, I have something else in mind." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a large blue marble.

Rowan groaned. "Still have some of those baubles lying about, do you?"

"They are not baubles, Tenku. You would be wise to acknowledge that. Suiko here knows."

He handed the marble to Cye who was wide-eyed, staring at the glass globe. He hesitantly reached out and took it from Doc Kaos’ hand. It glowed brightly and a small symbol lit up on the inside. A flood of realization swept over Cye. Various images of water and ancient battles flashed through his mind. He was certain this orb belonged to him and somewhere he had lost it. But Doc Kaos had found it and kept it for him. That was why he’d run into Rowan; that’s why he’d come to Glitter Gulch. His destiny lay in this shiny, blue marble.

"See, Suiko knows." Kaos smiled his toothless grin.

"Yeah, whatever. How much?"

"For Suiko, nothing. He shall repay me soon enough." Kaos pointed his finger at Rowan. "I gave you your yoroi when you were far too young to understand. Let us hope that when the time comes, you will have the wisdom to use it."

"Uh, okay. See ya, round, Kaos."

Cye stared at the marble in his hand. He looked up at Doc Kaos, tears in his eyes. "Thank you," he murmured.

Doc Kaos patted his hand. "You always were my favorite."

Cye smiled and hugged the old man. "Thank you!"

Kaos grinned and pointed a finger at Rowan. "You will all be together again soon, Tenku. Kongo is on his way and so is Rekka. Send Korin to me when he arrives. He will need this." He pulled a green marble out of his pocket. "If you are to defeat Arago and the masho, you will all need your yoroi."

"Yeah, right, whatevuh. Come on, Soo-ee-ko. Old Doc Kaos needs his sleep." Rowan winked at the old man and left the store. Cye smiled and waved to the wizened doctor.

"Bye! I’ll come back and visit!"

"Goodbye, Suiko. Come back soon!"

Sage and Ryo had only been riding for a couple of hours before they saw the town of Glitter Gulch. Sage frowned. Last night Ryo told me it would be another day or so. Why would he have lied?

Sage had never been to Glitter Gulch, but it was Rowan’s hometown. I can see why he left. Several signs were posted outside the city stating various city ordinances. Sage rolled his eyes and ignored them. All he wanted was to take a hot bath. To get a drink from a glass. To sit in a chair. To sleep in a bed.

"Uh, Sage, shouldn’t we read…"

Sage glared at Ryo.

"Uh, okay." They rode on in silence.

Glitter Gulch was a fairly small town. One main building housed the post office, jail, court, and city hall. A few general stores touted dry goods and feed, and a blacksmith had set up shop on the outskirts of town. Sage was beginning to feel civilized again. He pulled out Rowan’s map of the town and scoured it. Set in the dead center of town was their destination -- Lady Kayura’s Saloon. Sage smiled. Almost there. He tipped his hat to a woman who was walking by. She snatched up the child that was with her, threw him a wilting stare, and scurried off. He frowned. Shit. It has to be that red dye. He pulled his hat on tighter and scrunched up some more, grumbling to himself. The ride to the saloon seemed like an eternity. People staring at them and scuttling out of their way. Some fearful and others downright hateful. When they finally reached their destination, Sage sighed. Well, at least from the outside, it doesn’t look so bad. He and Ryo hitched up their horses and walked inside.

Anubis looked up as the two strangers entered the saloon. The blonde ducked his head, took off his hat, and fluffed his hair. The brunette looked liked he’d eaten something unpleasant. Uh, oh. That one’s going to be trouble. The sheriff won’t like this at all. He watched as they scanned the room and the brunette shrugged and shook his head. The blonde motioned the brunette to a table and sauntered over to the bar. Anubis liked the cowboy’s easy, yet guarded walk. He leaned on the bar and gestured to Anubis who walked over. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, a bottle of whiskey and two glasses, please."

"Sure." He’s got purple eyes… Anubis got the items and placed them in front of the blonde. "You may want to move to a table in the back." He pointed at Ryo. The cowboy glanced at his partner and then back at Anubis.

"Why?"

"The sheriff won’t like him being here now."

"The sheriff? What does he have to do with…"

"Hey, Red Man!" The blonde turned.

Anubis groaned. Too late.

Sheriff Cale and his two deputies stood in the doorway. The blonde threw some money on the counter and took his purchase to the table. The sheriff was towering over the brunette who was trying his best to ignore him.

"Hey! I’m talking to you." Cale kicked the brunette’s feet.

Sage sneered as he pushed past the sheriff and leisurely sat down. Ryo looked scared shitless. "What can I do for you, Sheriff?" Sage opened the whiskey bottle and poured Ryo and himself drinks. He turned to face the sheriff.

"You can start by wiping that red shit off your smug ass face," Cale snarled. Ryo spat out most of his drink.

Sage cursed as he felt his face grow hot. The dye. He took a deep breath. "What do you want?"

"That Indian," Cale spat, "has to leave. Now."

"That Indian has a drink to finish," Sage said as he refilled Ryo’s glass.

Cale leaned across the table, putting his face right in front of Sage’s. "Since you obviously didn’t take the time to read the city ordinances on your way in, I’ll let you in on one of them." Cale’s eyes were locked with Sage’s. "No ‘undesirables’ – that includes your pal here – are allowed in town from sunup to sundown." Cale looked toward the saloon doors and nodded. "It’s still daylight outside, so he’s not allowed within the city limits."

Sage’s eye began to twitch. "I told you, we’ll leave when he’s finished with his drink."

Cale smiled, reached in front of Ryo, picked up his glass, and poured the drink on Sage’s lap. "He’s finished now."

Sage’s eyes never left Cale’s face. He pushed back the brim of his hat, picked up Ryo’s glass, and began to refill it. "He’s finished when I say he’s finished." He pushed the glass back in front of Ryo, who had no intention of ever touching that glass again. Instead, Cale reached over and picked up the shot glass. He downed the contents and placed the glass in front of Sage. Sage picked up the glass and refilled it, pushing it back under Ryo’s nose. Cale smirked, stood back, and turned the table over. He rushed at Sage, pulling him to his feet.

"Now look here, Indian lover," Cale hissed. Sage’s ears turned red. "I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but a law is a law and he’s got to go, willingly or unwillingly, it’s your choice."

Sage jerked from Cale’s grasp. "I said that we will go, as soon as he’s finished his…"

Cale punched Sage square in the face, knocking him back a few feet. Ryo sprang into action. He threw himself at Cale and they landed in a tangled heap. Sage staggered forward, wiping the blood off his cheek. Ryo and Cale were a mess of arms and legs on the floor. The deputies lunged toward the pair, but the cocking of Sage’s gun stopped them in their tracks. "Don’t move. Let ‘em fight it out." The cowboy watched as Ryo deftly outmaneuvered the bigger man. Cale stumbled to his feet and faced his nimble opponent. The sheriff was breathing hard, but the Indian had just begun. Cale threw a punch and missed, Ryo’s fist catching him in the stomach and doubling him over. Then Ryo brought a double-fisted whack down solidly on the back of Cale’s neck. He lurched forward and caught himself before he fell back down. He wheeled to face Ryo, his back to Sage.

Sage loved to watch Ryo fight. It was like a dance – a timed, practiced, and precise routine. He found himself getting a little too excited when he saw the fire in Ryo’s eyes. He looked back at the deputies. He heard a thud and knew Cale had the wind knocked out of him again. If Ryo can knock him unconscious, then we can slip out the door and head on out of town. I can send Rowan a telegram later.

"Sage! Behind…!"

Sage wheeled toward Ryo’s shout and too late turned to face the new threat. He heard a thwack, felt a sharp pain on the back of his head, and saw stars. He fell to his knees and grasped his head. The deputies saw their chance and grabbed Ryo. He kicked and tried to fight his way free. Sage tried to stand up but fell to the ground. Behind where he stood was the bartender with a large piece of wood in his hands. "Not in my bar you don’t." Sage shook his head to clear the dancing lights.

Cale shakily got to his feet. He stood in front of Sage.

"You…son…of…a…bitch!" Cale shouted, punctuating every word with a kick to Sage’s mid-section.

"Noooo!!" Ryo screamed and tore away form his attackers, dislocating his shoulder in the process. He dove at Cale who was ready for him this time. The sheriff ducked, putting his center of gravity low and threw Ryo over him. He landed with a thud on top of Sage. The deputies pulled the Indian to his feet, Ryo biting his lip to keep from screaming from the pain in his shoulder. Sage groaned and tried to stand.

"Oh, no, you don’t, freak." Cale kicked the cowboy in the side of the head and Sage crumpled to the floor.

"As for you…" Cale grabbed Ryo’s dislocated arm and pulled. Ryo grimaced and spat at Cale. The sheriff wiped the spit from his face and sneered. "You fucking piece of red Indian shit!" Cale rained blows on Ryo’s face, relentless with his fury. Anubis cringed. The Indian’s face was bloody and the only things holding him up were the sheriff’s helping hands.

"Sheriff Cale?"

"What?!"

"I think he’s done now. Don’t you?" Anubis scowled.

Cale paused, breathing heavily. His eyes darted to the two strangers and he shook this head trying to clear it. He wiped his bloody hands on Sage’s coat. "All right, boys. Tie ‘em up and we’ll take ‘em to the jail." The deputies nodded and began to tie the two strangers’ hands. Cale watched the deputies work. He sat down at the bar and Anubis poured him a drink. "Thanks."

Anubis nodded and walked away. Cale picked up the glass and stared at his reflection mirrored there. He looked bad. The cut on his face that Damon had given him had reopened. Anubis handed him a towel. "Thanks." He held the fabric up to his face and sighed. In the giant mirror behind the bar, he watched as the deputies tried to revive the cowboy. His heart sank when he saw the cowboy’s swollen, bloodied lip and bruised face. He hadn’t meant to be so rough, but when he’d seen the two of them together, it had triggered something deep within him. He’d watched the two of them riding into town and had seen the blonde casting concerned glances at his partner. He’d felt a surge of anger and he wanted to hurt them – hurt them both. It was the same reaction he had when Dais flirted with Sekhmet, except ten times as strong. Cale licked the blood off his lip. The blonde moaned as the deputies sat him upright and he coughed up blood. They hauled him to his feet. Cale tried to shake the odd phrase that popped into his head when he saw the cowboy. He stood up and grabbed the upper part of the cowboy’s arm. "Get the Indian. I’ll take this one." That phrase again. It wouldn’t go away. He’s come back to me and this time, he’s mine.